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General Information

This page is a gear reference for Subtlety Rogues. It lists your
best items and Legendaries, gives you gearing advice, and shows you how you will
be competing for loot with other classes.

The other pages of our Subtlety Rogue guide can be accessed
from the table of contents on the right.

About Our Author and Reviewer

This guide has been written by Furty, who has an illustrious history in
the World of Warcraft raiding scene and race for World First. He has been a
member of guilds such as Serenity, Midwinter, and many more, and is
currently raiding in Future. He plays most classes at the highest level. You
can follow him on Twitter and
watch him play on
Twitch.

This guide has been reviewed and approved by
impý,
a Subtlety Rogue who raids in The Unnamed,
a top German guild.

1. Tier 20 Set Bonuses

The Tier 20 set bonus augments your Symbols of Death to provide
even greater benefits when used.

2-piece bonus: Symbols of Death increases your damage done by an
additional 10%.

4-piece bonus: Symbols of Death has 5 sec reduced cooldown and
generates 2 Energy per second while active.

Both of these bonuses are great for increasing our burst windows with
Shadow Dance, something we already excel at. The 2-piece in particular
really amps up your opener and each dance thereafter (paired with Symbols),
and you will see some pretty ludicrous numbers if playing with
Dark Shadow. The 4-piece bonus helps you sustain these burst windows
and reduce the emphasis on premeditated pooling while also increasing the
frequency of your Symbols of Death. It is also beneficial
for players using Death from Above, as they will not receive the
Energy returns from Master of Shadows. No matter what talents you
use, both set bonuses are worth acquiring and using, even over slightly
higher level offpieces.

2. Best in Slot List

With the existence of Titanforged and Mythic+ dungeons, there is no such
thing as a hard Best in Slot anymore. This is more of a guideline for
the best pieces to keep an eye out for in your raid or dungeon (if applicable).
Be smart, and if you find higher item level pieces with valuable stat
combinations do not hesitate to upgrade to them.

Umbral Moonglaives is also an excellent trinket to acquire
for use in Mythic+ or encounters with heavy cleave/AoE.

3. Evaluating Upgrades Using Stat Weights

You can evaluate upgrades side by side using a simple napkin math formula:

DPS Value = Σ Stat weight × Amount of Stat

For example, using the stat weights from our Stats page,
a pair of boots with 380 Mastery, 1150 Haste,
and 976 Agility, we can calculate a DPS value of:

380×0.65 + 1150×0.38 + 976×1 = 1660.0

This does not give an exact DPS value, but can be used to calculate the relative value
versus another piece. For example, if we have a second pair of boots with
450 Haste, 970 Versatility,
and 976 Agility, we can compute the DPS value for that second item using the same
formula, before comparing the results:

450×0.38 + 970×0.70 + 976×1 = 1826.0

We can clearly see that 1826.0 > 1660.0, and
therefore, the second pair of boots are the stronger upgrade. This is the
quickest, best, and most reliable way of determining whether or not you should
use one upgrade or another, despite the fact that stats weights are very approximate
and change with respect to fight type, fight length, and the values of your other stats
(synergetic scaling).

4. Racial Bonuses

Racial benefit is pretty minimal for Subtlety so it is recommended you just
play whatever makes you happiest. If you choose to play Night Elf, you should
be sure to take advantage of Shadowmeld for an extra Stealth
when it is off cooldown.

Denial of the Half-Giants is a bracer slot item, close behind
The First of the Dead for single target. It adds 0.2 seconds to your
Shadow Blades for each Combo Point spent on finishers. It can be a
niche option for cleave and AoE as the increased Combo Point generation via
Fan of Knives will allow you to greatly extend your Shadow Blades
and pump finishers into a priority target.

The Dreadlord's Deceit is a back slot legendary, great for any
situation. In particular, it really excels on fights with intermittent cleave
or AoE, and it is an exceptional choice for Mythic+.

Shadow Satyr's Walk is a boot slot item that provides a modest
increase to your single target damage. The sustained damage is good and it
occupies a low value gear slot, freeing up a potential tier slot.

Soul of the Shadowblade is a ring that grants the Vigor
talent. This legendary is average on single target but can offer a decent
burst of AoE, allowing you to get a few extra Shuriken Storms off
before you fully Energy starve.

Insignia of Ravenholdt is a ring that adds shadow cleave to all
targets up to 15 yards in front of you when you use abilities that generate
Combo Points. This legendary is average in all situations.

Prydaz, Xavaric's Magnum Opus is a neck slot that causes you to
gain an absorb equal to 30% of your maximum health for 30 seconds,
refreshing every 30 seconds. It has quite a bit of secondary stats and
a socket, making it a potent stat stick. That said, it still falls short
of the more valuable legendaries due to its relatively unimpactful
unique effect.

Cinidaria, the Symbiote is a belt that causes your attacks to deal
30% extra physical damage when your targets are above 90% health. It also
heals you for 100% of this extra damage. This legendary could be exceptional
for beating tight Phase One damage checks, however, there is currently no
situation where this is made use of. Overall, a fairly weak legendary compared
to its peers.

Kil'jaeden's Burning Wish is an underwhelming legendary, as it takes
up a valuable trinket slot and has very low impact for sustained damage. It
could be useful if there are a horde of stacked adds, but is otherwise
lacklustre in every way.

Will of Valeera is a leg slot item that causes Feint to
heal you for 20% of your maximum health over 5 seconds. This legendary
occupies as a valuable leg slot, denying a tier piece, and has a lacklustre
unique effect. It does have 3 secondary stats on it, however, making it
a stat stick in essence.

Sephuz's Secret is a ring slot that grants 2% Haste and 10%
Movement Speed passively. Additionally, successfully applying a loss of
control effect or an interrupt will grant 25% Haste and 70% Movement Speed
for 10 seconds, on a 30 second internal cooldown. As Haste is our weakest
stat this legendary holds little value, even when it can be reliably
activated.

The Sentinel's Eternal Refuge is a boot slot that has 3 sockets
and grants 5% Movement Speed each time you kill an enemy. At 5 stacks,
you will transform into a Wisp when you are out of combat, further
increasing your Movement Speed and granting flight. This legendary has
no use unless you have just hit level 110 and want a stat and item level
boost.

5.3. Mantle of the Master Assassin

Mantle of the Master Assassin grants 100% increased Critical Strike
while in Stealth, and for 6 seconds after breaking Stealth.
Unfortunately, this does not work with Shadow Dance which devalues this
legendary considerably. It does, however, benefit from Subterfuge's
extended duration, but only when used from Vanish. When using this
legendary, the player should aim to use it in a window where
Nightblade will not be refreshed. The player should also aim to have
a Finality buff ready, as well as 5 Combo Points ready (10 with
Anticipation). You should then vanish, spend your pooled up
Eviscerate, then continue with the regular rotation. Perfect use of
this mechanic results in a very large dps gain when used with
Mantle of the Master Assassin, which can make Mantle far and away the
strongest legendary for Subtlety rogues.

6. Loot Competition

Regarding the loot you will get from raid or dungeon bosses, you will
compete with other classes in the following cases: